In response to a committee vote last week supporting same-sex marriage in Washington D.C., the Catholic Church is threatening to stop providing social services for the city, including meals for the homeless and health care assistance.

The proposal, approved by the city’s Public Safety and Judiciary Committee, gives religious groups the right to withdraw from participating in the “solemnization or celebration” of same-sex marriage.

But the fear is that Catholics would be required under the bill to provide other services like “employee benefits, adoption services and even the use of a church hall for non-wedding events for same-sex married couples,” according to the Archdiocese in the city.

The church’s Catholic Charities serves roughly 68,000 people and 1/3 of the homeless population in DC, threatening the city’s low-income community.

However, other legal experts claim the proposal would have little effect on the church’s religious rights.

Apparently, the Church’s belief in the “sanctity” of marriage has triumphed over the “duty to the poor,” greatly contrasting the dustup with the church’s own moral teachings prioritizing social justice.

So the City Council approves equality legislation and the church sees a moral imperative to make a threat that could jeopardize the livelihood of thousands?

Using people as a leverage against policy is treating the less fortunate as a means to an end instead of an end in themselves – a moral philosophy much more in tune with Catholic theology than petty politics.

Even after threat, council members aren’t backing down, and the bill is predicted to pass sometime next month.